Beth McCraig's Garden

6th September 2011

Beth's Garden

Beth's Greenhouse

James Gladwell Owl in yellow and green

Barrington Farm Artists visit to South Walsham, Norfolk

One August day in the Art Barn, painter Ian Partridge mentioned to staff that he would like to talk to Beth McCraig again. Beth was a speech therapist at Barrington Farm who retired a few years ago. The staff telephoned Beth and she spoke with some of the artists. Beth talked about her garden and that she had recently hosted some visitors from a local drawing and painting class. The artists asked if they could come along and do the same. Beth said they would need to visit soon, as there wouldn't be as many flowers for long.

The trip was arranged and within a fortnight Ian Partridge, Hazel Mavin, Valerie Charles, James Gladwell, Vincent Hemmings and Barbara Symmons were stepping out of the minibus and into Beth's garden.

It rained throughout the day, but that didn't stop anyone from getting their paint brushes out! The garden was beautiful and the artists collected flowers during a dry spell, ate apples and a selection of very tasty tomatoes from Beth's greenhouse. James said "The tomatoes I tried, there were two I liked more, one was a black one, I can't remember what it was called? It was nice and sweet that's why I liked it."

During the visit Beth also gave a tour of her house, and different objects inspired the artists. In the kitchen Barbara said "I liked Beth's marble container. I haven't seen anything else like that."

Valerie Charles Sweetpeas 1

Valerie Charles Sweetpeas 2

James Gladwell Ipomoea Lobata
Flower drawn in Beth's greenhouse

James Gladwell – Ipomoea Lobata Transfer Print

Violet seedlings

After looking around the garden the artists took the flowers they had collected indoors, and sat around Beth's kitchen table with a hot cup of tea to warm up. Val, Ian, Vincent and Barbara stayed in the kitchen, drawing multi coloured sweet peas and a very large thistle. Barbara was the only one who had the patience to draw Trinny the cat as she kept running away, maybe because she was quite anxious about all the new faces in her house. After the trip Barbara said "I enjoyed it, especially the cat, she looked at me and everyone else, and said no I won't come back! But she did, she sat on the boiler and I drew her." "Before she scarpered!" Vincent added.

Hazel and James went back outside to the greenhouse to the spectacular display of tomatoes of many varieties and colours. Hazel used watercolour to illustrate the collection of violet seedlings growing in pots on the floor. James took an interest in the trailing Ipomoea Lobata – an unusual plant with a flower similar to physalis, dicentra or fuchsia but with the firey colours of small chilly peppers.

James said afterwards "I enjoyed it, the drawing, sitting in the greenhouse it was really quiet, I could have sat there all day!" Beth commented "I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's nice to have the garden busy and used!"

Back in the arts centre at Barrington Farm, the trip continued to give people ideas.

James used his flower and owl drawings to make prints using a new screen-printing technique of drawing onto a screen with felt tip pen then over printing a medium to transfer the image onto paper. This can be done up to 5 times until the image gets too faint to see. James and Hazel also used another transfer technique of painting different coloured acrylic paint onto fabric and placing a photocopy of a drawing face down onto the wet paint. Once dry the paper is dampened and rubbed off revealing the black ink of the photocopied drawing on top of the painting.

You can see some of the finished pictures that were made here.